Britain has shut down the consular and commercial sections of its embassy in Yemen’s capital of Sana'a following London's call for Britons to leave the Yemen Republic due to a growing terrorism threat, an embassy official said on Sunday.

The official told AFP that the sections were closed on Saturday until further notice.

On Friday, Britain called on its nationals to leave Yemen due to a "heightened threat of terrorism" in the country and also advised against all travel to the country.

In the meantime, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Sunday that members of Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network were operating in Yemen.

"There are al-Qaeda and other international terrorist operatives inside the Yemen, and it poses a very serious law enforcement threat and challenge, both for the local authorities and for the international community," he stated. (Albawaba.com)